News

One of our clients has been in touch with us concerned about a letter received following the recent formation of a Limited Company.  The letter purports to be from ‘Company Registry’ and states urgent action is required ‘to activate’ the company account and ensure records are secure and organised.  The letter requests a payment of £47 in Activation Fees.

Having set the company up for our client we queried the request and as suspected, upon closer inspection discovered the letter is a scam – Company Registry has nothing to do with Companies House and we advised our client the letter can be safely ignored.

We have been made aware of another fraudulent letter, this time supposedly from HMRC, requesting identification and business documents to be sent by email.  This letter is very convincing but the biggest give away that it is a scam is the email address – HMRC email addresses always end with hmrc.gov.uk

I have a letter from HMRC, what should I do?

If you receive a letter that appears to be from HMRC, check it very carefully before responding.  If possible send it to your accountant for verification, or you can go to the HMRC website (gov.uk) and check if the letter has been listed as genuine.  If you are still in doubt call HMRC (using contact details on gov.uk) to see if it has been issued by them.

I received a letter and sent my details to the email address – what now?

If you have already responded to the letter, please contact the HMRC security team via email security.custcon@hmrc.gov.uk.  You should include brief details of the information that you provided (but do not provide any personal information).

You should also contact Action Fraud if you are based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Other scams targeting individuals or organisations

Unfortunately, tax related scams continue to be sent by email, text or phone call.  They range from calls from someone claiming you will be arrested for an outstanding tax bill unless you pay immediately to promising you a tax refund if you provide your bank details.

Although HMRC do send texts, emails, letters and occasionally call individuals it is important to check that what you have received is genuine before replying, downloading attachments or clicking on links. HMRC will never request personal information such as bank details or request that you transfer money.

Please contact us if you need any further information.